medianticsemantics: With Inland Empire, David Lynch broke his longtime creative partnership with composer Angelo Badalamenti and scored the film himself. While accusations that Lynch desires an ever-increasing level of creative control over his work may be true, in this case that desire has yielded a profound benefit. Although Badalamenti’s absence is certainly notable, Inland Empire is a brilliant film soundtrack that, while different, surpasses all of the duo’s past collaborative efforts in successfully conveying the film’s sense of mood and emotional power. Perhaps the strongest argument in favor of this score is the music performed and produced by the director himself. Lynch, a multifaceted creative surrealist juggernaut, has found a unique voice in every medium he has attempted. His work on Inland Empire is of two distinct styles. First, the dark ambient pieces (“Woods Variation,” “Call from the Past,” “Rabbits Theme,” etc.), which capture with insurmountable accuracy the mysterious and dreary atmosphere that haunts most of the film.  Second, and no less noteworthy, are Lynch’s rock pieces (“Ghost of Love” and “Walkin’ on the Sky”), which can be heard as more conventional than the ambient works (in Lynch’s world, though, nothing is quite conventional). On these songs he makes his first ever singing appearance, making liberal use of the Auto-Tune effect, and evokes a mood reminiscent of the psychedelic episodes of Pulp Fiction. Neither the ambient nor the rock styles had been attempted in such a way in previous Lynch soundtracks, and it is only by the director’s supreme, uncompromised control that such a result was to be achieved. Even though Lynch’s own compositions may be the most remarkable, it is the balance of his dark, psychedelic music on the one hand with the collection of other artists’ songs on the other that makes the soundtrack so effective. Atonal pieces such as Lutoslawski’s “Novelette Conclusion” and Penderecki’s “Als Jakob Erwachte” brush up - almost too close for comfort - against lighter, more uplifting ones like Joey Altruda’s “Lisa,” Dave Brubeck’s “Three to Get Ready,” and Beck’s “Black Tambourine.” The latter is used to supreme cinematic effect - juxtaposed with high-pitched dissonant strings and Hollywood Boulevard street noise, the song, while disturbing, is the highlight of the entire album. The inclusion - and embellishment - of these songs demonstrate a more experimental leaning than any of Badalamenti’s work ever exhibited. David Lynch is a master of creating balance between disparate elements in his films and artistic endeavors, and Inland Empire is no different. The album flaunts a cohesion that the Badalamenti-helmed soundtracks lack. Rather than playing like the usual movie soundtrack, this one feels more like a proper David Lynch album. One of Badalamenti’s more common devices was to write light, swinging jazz pieces with an intimation of evil and darkness to create the uneasiness that is a staple of Lynch’s films. But Lynch himself, while taking a very different route, ends up at the same effect, and with a more profound sense of realization. Regardless who composed the music, this score has done exactly what an effective score is meant to do. It conveys the general sense of atmosphere that pervades the film, and as an additional benefit can stand on its own as an album, something that Badalamenti’s soundtracks have a much more difficult time doing.

medianticsemantics:

With Inland Empire, David Lynch broke his longtime creative partnership with composer Angelo Badalamenti and scored the film himself. While accusations that Lynch desires an ever-increasing level of creative control over his work may be true, in this case that desire has yielded a profound benefit. Although Badalamenti’s absence is certainly notable, Inland Empire is a brilliant film soundtrack that, while different, surpasses all of the duo’s past collaborative efforts in successfully conveying the film’s sense of mood and emotional power.

Perhaps the strongest argument in favor of this score is the music performed and produced by the director himself. Lynch, a multifaceted creative surrealist juggernaut, has found a unique voice in every medium he has attempted. His work on Inland Empire is of two distinct styles. First, the dark ambient pieces (“Woods Variation,” “Call from the Past,” “Rabbits Theme,” etc.), which capture with insurmountable accuracy the mysterious and dreary atmosphere that haunts most of the film.  Second, and no less noteworthy, are Lynch’s rock pieces (“Ghost of Love” and “Walkin’ on the Sky”), which can be heard as more conventional than the ambient works (in Lynch’s world, though, nothing is quite conventional). On these songs he makes his first ever singing appearance, making liberal use of the Auto-Tune effect, and evokes a mood reminiscent of the psychedelic episodes of Pulp Fiction. Neither the ambient nor the rock styles had been attempted in such a way in previous Lynch soundtracks, and it is only by the director’s supreme, uncompromised control that such a result was to be achieved.

Even though Lynch’s own compositions may be the most remarkable, it is the balance of his dark, psychedelic music on the one hand with the collection of other artists’ songs on the other that makes the soundtrack so effective. Atonal pieces such as Lutoslawski’s “Novelette Conclusion” and Penderecki’s “Als Jakob Erwachte” brush up - almost too close for comfort - against lighter, more uplifting ones like Joey Altruda’s “Lisa,” Dave Brubeck’s “Three to Get Ready,” and Beck’s “Black Tambourine.” The latter is used to supreme cinematic effect - juxtaposed with high-pitched dissonant strings and Hollywood Boulevard street noise, the song, while disturbing, is the highlight of the entire album. The inclusion - and embellishment - of these songs demonstrate a more experimental leaning than any of Badalamenti’s work ever exhibited.

David Lynch is a master of creating balance between disparate elements in his films and artistic endeavors, and Inland Empire is no different. The album flaunts a cohesion that the Badalamenti-helmed soundtracks lack. Rather than playing like the usual movie soundtrack, this one feels more like a proper David Lynch album. One of Badalamenti’s more common devices was to write light, swinging jazz pieces with an intimation of evil and darkness to create the uneasiness that is a staple of Lynch’s films. But Lynch himself, while taking a very different route, ends up at the same effect, and with a more profound sense of realization. Regardless who composed the music, this score has done exactly what an effective score is meant to do. It conveys the general sense of atmosphere that pervades the film, and as an additional benefit can stand on its own as an album, something that Badalamenti’s soundtracks have a much more difficult time doing.

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